Questions and Answers about Past Life Regression Therapy

If you have never experienced a past life regression, you have questions about what to expect.

The links on this page are here to help you decide if past life regression therapy with Carol Bowman is for you. Some go deeper into the question of what past life regression therapy is, and how it works. The FAQ, below begins with more practical questions.

Past Life Regression FAQ

Over the more than twenty-five years I've been conducting past life regressions, I've fielded every question imaginable from prospective clients. The questions I hear most often I've answered here in this FAQ. If after reading this you have further questions, please call me between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. EST. If I'm not available, leave a message and I will call you back as soon as I can. My number is 610- 566- 3870

Q. Is a past life regression the same as a psychic reading?

No. A past life regression is much different than a psychic reading. I do not sit with you and tell you about your past lives, either over the phone or in person.

Instead, we meet in my office and I guide you to remember your own past life memories. I assist you in processing the memories and relating them to your present life. For you it is an active, not a passive, process. You participate fully in the regression as I guide you through it.

The goal is for you to gain direct experience of yourself as a soul journeying and growing through time towards healing.

Q. How long is a session?

A session is three hours. During the first hour we engage in an interview, which has the feel of a traditional counseling session. We discuss why you want to do a regression and what you would like to accomplish. I ask many questions about your present life including your family history, events in early childhood (if you remember), your physical health, etc., as a means of focusing on particular patterns that may be a reflection of your past life experiences. The interview not only gives me information about you, it also primes your unconscious and begins the regression process.

After the first hour, we move on to the regression. The regression is done while reclining with your eyes closed so you can direct all your attention on your inner experience. The regression itself usually lasts from 60 to 90 minutes, or longer if necessary. Typically, a client can experience one to three lifetimes during the session.

I leave time after the regression to to talk about the experience. If you go deeply into a regression (which I hope you will), you may feel very peaceful, or a little drained, or slightly disoriented. Hopefully you will also be full of amazement at what you just experienced. I make sure you have time to get reoriented and grounded before you drive away in your car. My office is tucked away on the third floor of my 18th century Pennsylvania farmhouse, very private and quiet.

The house and gardens in July.

Q. Do you use hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a form of focused awareness. It is necessary for you to focus inward to access your past life memories--or any distant memories for that matter. So, yes, you will be hypnotized. But it is a surprisingly light trance state. In this state you can still be aware that you are reclining in a chair in my office, that a bird is chirping outside, or an airplane is flying overhead, while at the same time you are completely engrossed in the past life memory. I give a good description of this dual state of consciousness in my book, Children's Past Lives, at pp. 38-45, and in the chapter "Trance is Easy". You can read the excerpt here on the page The Trance Experience.

To help you focus inward, I encourage you to focus on the rhythm of your breathing while relaxing your entire body. By focusing on your breathing, you fall gently into a light trance state. So in a sense, you don't go "under" hypnosis, you are simply relaxing. As you relax I encourage you to be aware of your inner images, feelings, and physical sensations.

I then have you focus on a particularly charged thought or feeling, which is often the reason why you wanted to do a regression in the first place, or something we uncovered in the interview. For example, if a dominant theme in your life is the fear of being alone, I direct you to focus on the thought and the feeling, "I'm all alone." This serves as a bridge from your present feelings to a relevant past life memory.

Some past life memories are of happy and fulfilling lives. These benign lifetimes help us understand and appreciate our present positive attitudes, talents, and good relationships. They are life’s gifts.

Most memories that surface in past life therapy are of past life trauma, usually a traumatic death. It is the past life trauma that continues to affect us emotionally, mentally, and physically, causing difficulties in many aspects of our present life. By exposing these painful memories to the light of awareness, and understanding the context of the past life and death, the emotional intensity loses its grip. We can finally let go of the past and move forward in our lives. We feel lighter, as if a burden has been lifted. This is the heart of the work: to heal the deepest part of us, our soul. You will not get “stuck” in these traumatic memories. I am there to guide you through the experience so you can get the full benefit of the process. Sometimes the healing is immediate and dramatic, or can be more subtle and noticeable over time.

After the regression, you will remember everything you experienced. Over time, new layers of insight and understanding emerge spontaneously. I also digitally record the session and email you a file. (I can still make a cassette tape, if you prefer. )

Q. Can everyone be regressed?

Regression therapy is not for everyone. That's why I spend time on the phone with you before we book an appointment. I ask questions about your personal history to get a feeling for the issues you might want to address in the session, to make sure this type of therapy is appropriate for you. But despite all my experience and care, there's no way I can know for sure if you will be able to access a past life memory until we try it. Still, the odds are good: about 95% of my clients do go back to a past life in the first session.

From what I can tell, successfully accessing a past life has nothing to do with how many books you've read about past life therapy or reincarnation, or how much you want it. It has more to do with your soul's readiness, our rapport, your openness and willingness to change, as well as forces unknown or unforseen on that particular day. Every session is different.

Clients who did not access a past life memory sometimes find that they were changed by something that came up during the interview--apparently, just from focusing on their issues with me--or from regressing to an early childhood experience, which is not uncommon.

Q. What results can I expect from my session?

Many different things can come out of a session. Re-experiencing and processing a past life memory might help you understand and resolve current relationships, begin to untangle emotional problems including phobias and compulsions, and even heal physical complaints. It might explain mysteries in your life and give you a greater sense of peace. Perhaps the greatest benefit is experiencing yourself as a soul who has lived before and will live again. Really knowing this can give you a different perspective, perhaps a little more objectivity, on your current life and make you feel differently about your death.

I cannot say what will happen in your session, but any or all of these benefits are possible, based on what I've seen in the past.

Q. How many sessions do you suggest?

Some clients find that one session gives them a tremendous jolt of insight that takes time to process. Remember, this is not talk therapy. It goes far deeper. It is not necessary to do past life regressions every week as you would with traditional psychotherapy. However, some clients find that returning for follow-up sessions help them continue the journey and heal. I may suggest you consider doing more sessions, depending on what your experience is. But it's always your choice, and you may find that one session is enough.

Q. What is your background?

I was first introduced to past life regression in 1987 while living in Asheville, NC. I did the regression to see if I could find the cause of my chronic lung problems. In just one session I experienced two lifetimes in which I had died due to afflictions of the lungs, dying of consumption in the 19th century, and in the gas chambers of World War II. That one session changed the course of my illness and convinced me that we really do live more than once. The session was truly magical for me. (I discuss this in detail in Chapter 2 of Children's Past Lives.)

After that one session, I was hooked. I knew that I wanted to learn how to do past life regression and help others have the same experience. There had never been anything else in my life that had so deeply stirred my passion.

I first trained as a hypnotherapist and then with some of the pioneers in the field of past life therapy, including Dr. Morris Netherton, Dr. Roger Woolger, Dr. Winafred Lucas, Norman Inge, and Henry Bolduc. I learned different techniques from each of them, which I integrated into my own style. I am also a trained counselor and hold an M.S. in Counseling from Villanova University. I have been doing past life regressions with adults for more than 25 years.

Between 1995 and 2001, I took some time off from my past life regression practice to research and write two books about children's spontaneous past life memories, Children's Past Lives and Return From Heaven. The publicity from the two books has given me the opportunity to lecture, appear on TV and radio, and be a spokesperson for reincarnation.

I now devote all of my time to doing past life regressions, when I'm not on the road lecturing on reincarnation and doing workshops and training other therapists.

I am now working on my 3rd book about past life memories across the lifespan. Because I have hundreds of cases of children's spontaneous memories plus thousands of cases from my past life therapy practice with adults, I'm in a unique position to see how past life memories can affect us throughout the whole span of our lives. I know from experience that they are opportunities to heal the soul at any age.

Q. Do you do regressions with children?

I do not do regressions with children under the age of 16--with some exceptions. But I am available for consultations with parents who feel that their child is experiencing a past life memory and needs more help understanding what is happening beyond what I've said in my two books. (The Past Life Forum can be helpful too.) If you feel you have a special case, I would be happy to discuss this with you by email.